Sector: Food and Beverage – Hand roasted coffee shops. Challenge: Raising cash to grow and differentiate in a competitive market that the banks and accountants did not understand. In 2017 Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi sold for $450m. It’s the most expensive painting ever. You may feel it’s somewhat over-priced, but in the rarified world of art, if someone …
Why do you need to target your perfect customers with precision?
Leads, prospects, customers. Where would you be without them? In big trouble. That’s why the mantras – “Sell, sell, sell”, “Show me the money,” “Go big or go home” are so popular in business. They’ve become the war cry of many a Sales and Marketing Director, often just after the board meeting when their targets have been increased to hit …
How can your business escape from the draw of Death Valley?
There’s a place where many businesses find themselves. It’s bleak, dangerous, inhospitable. Certainly not somewhere you’d want to stay for long. We’ve called it Death Valley. It’s a place where many SMEs find themselves as they seek to scale up, but they are not even aware or wish to admit they are in the Death Zone. We all know the …
Is your business on the edge of Death Valley?
There are two Death Valleys. There’s the one in California, that recorded the world’s highest-ever temperature, a whopping 56C. Then there’s the other Death Valley, the one we invented for the purpose of this blog. It’s where many businesses come to grief. That’s the place we’d like to explore today. So, what is Death Valley? Basically, it’s an area you …
Is your strategy active, dormant or extinct?
In August, 1833, a volcano on the island of Krakatoa erupted. It sent pyroclastic flows 25 miles into the air. The explosion was heard 2,800 miles away. As a result of the ash and debris, average global temperatures fell by as much as 1.2 degrees for the next five years. That’s what you call power at work. Now let’s consider …
Where do ideas come from?
I’ve always loved writing. No idea where this love comes from. My Dad was an engineer. My Mum worked in a shop. But they both shared a love of reading. The written word was always important to them, and it became vitally important to me. Little did I know, that as a young lad, living in a prefab on a …
Has your business gone flat?
Feeling flat is a fairly common occurrence. It can happen at many times throughout your life, like when you’re on a diet. You’ve cut calories. You’re doing your 10,000 steps a day. You’ve eaten more fruit than a monkey. And yet, when you step on the scales the needle appears to be stuck. Your weight isn’t going anywhere. You’ve plateaued. …
How can you make your business great?
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em.” So said Malvolio in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Fast forward several hundred years, and ask yourself – how can you make your business great? If you were born into a successful family business, well done. If you had success land in your lap as a result of …
Dare you ignore your business warning lights?
You’re driving your car and a warning light comes on. What you do next could have serious implications? You might decide to stop at the nearest service station and sort it out. You could make a mental note to book your car into a garage. Or, the worst option of all, you ignore the warning light altogether and hope it …
Would you fly a plane if you only knew half the controls?
“You are cleared for take-off.” “Just a moment. What does that button do?” Let’s be honest, you’d never attempt to fly a plane unless you were totally confident with the controls, had been properly trained and knew exactly how everything worked. But when it comes to a business taking off, that’s exactly what many owners do. They hope their business …
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